Musings of a Grinning Cat
by Nythembra
Summary: Cheshire's thoughts on the girl who changed everything.


Musings of a Grinning Cat

The sun is warm on my back. I rest my head on my forearms. My back legs hang lazily from the scorched branch I have chosen to perch upon on this day, one on each side. My tail sags down to the left, and I twitch the end slothfully. My eyes are shut, and the blood red hue from the sunlight filtering through my eyelids is comforting. I sigh.

I have been laying here for some time. All day it feels. I couldn't care less how long I have been here of course. I'm comfortable, for the most part at least. This tree smells like soot and it is not terribly compressible against my skeletal form. However, there are few other places to go in this land if you wish to get away from it's pesky, galling, and vexing inhabitants. The common people are constantly ranting and vociferating over the most elementary of subjects. They are all mad here.

My, how hypocritical of me.

I roll over on the charred branch to lay on my back, allowing the dim, obscured sun to begin warming my fur. Bits of charcoal from the intricately smoldered timber fall from the branch as I shift, cascading to the equally singed, terra firma, a hundred feet beneath me. They crackle beneath my claws and stir up a black dust. I twitch my nose to rid it of the asphyxiating powder that pains my yellow eyes.

I flick at my ear lazily with my forepaw and the golden loop through it's lobe swings twice. I yawn. It is early in the day and I have still yet to sleep. My nocturnal habits have been catching up to me within the past month. It has been hard to attain sleep for many, what with the Cards roaming about, free to slay as they wish now. I have little to worry about of course. If the Cards were to come after anyone, I'm sure I would be the first on their list, all the same, I am far more savvy than any of their pathetic species. What, by being the only of my kind, I am also rather hard to locate.

Yes, they would come after me, alright. I need not a weathervane to know which way the wind blows. Though no matter how hard if they were to try they would never be able to keep up with the likes of me, and they are well aware of it. My powers far surpass them. However there is always the fact that with stupidity may also draw nigh determination, and I am one that they would show some determination to obtain, I'm sure of it.

It's all because of that damned girl.

Why, If she had not come dragging herself through my part of the woods, I would not even be on the wanted list at all! Why had I been so intrigued by such a pathetic, innocent creature, enough to hanker after helping her? Why on earth had she sent me out of my mind enough to send her to the damned, bloody Queen?

I had to disclose that most of this was my error. The Cards had been searching for her for so long now, attempting to attain the blood that needed to be spilled to conquer the Red Queen's revenge. Damn her! The Cards were oblivious to the fact that the girl was gone, and they ravaged house after house attempting to locate her. In their wake they destroyed so much that was harmless and should be left to live, spilling innocent blood upon the walls of terrified commoners…

Well, it was not my problem to fix. I had my own, skinny neck to watch out for.

I roll over on the branch again, this time onto my side. More charred pieces fall to the dead forrest floor. I focus in on my breathing, attempting a transition into a more peaceful stage of consciousness where meditation might take hold of my now brooding mind. I wish to escape these troubled notions and sleep finally.

I squeeze my eyes tighter and curl my paws in, however as the comforting blackness begins to overcome me, I am interrupted by a vague, hazy image that chooses to invade my conscious. Shining hair, a flowing dress and extravagant, childish eyes…

I sit up abruptly and the back of my head collides with a branch above me, provoking black dust to come falling down upon me, stinging my eyes and throat. I let out a frustrated hiss and lash my tail in irritation at my sudden clumsiness. How devilishly cringeworthy. It would have been far more humiliating if there had been someone around to witness it.

"Oh, Cheshire!"

Drat.

I scowl to myself as the all too familiar voice echos piercingly through my sensitive ears. Rolling my eyes, I steady my self on my branch and look down at the forrest floor.

The rabbit stands timidly in my shadow, a pusillanimous grin on his furry face, allowing one bucked tooth to protrude from his maw. His paws are folded in front of him in an almost protective stance, that strokes my self-worth. However, I find this creature to be increasingly irksome and I lash my tail.

He notices and drops his eyes from mine as I stare him down.

I allow my natural grin to come across my face then and purr dramatically, allowing him to pick up my sarcasm and impatience with his presence. "Can I help you, Rabbit?"

"Cheshire," his voice rings through my ears again, nearly splitting them in half.

"Keep, your voice down, fool." I state calmly but with enough power. The rabbit jumps back once and looks around nervously.

"You don't think the Cards could--"

"I don't know but I would rather not find out." I cock an eye and tilt my head at him. "Why have you come to find me?"

The White Rabbit twitches his nose once, causing his ridiculously lengthy whiskers to tremble. I lash my tail impatiently, signaling for him to get on with it.

"Cheshire, this is getting far to out of hand." He cries. "It's not proper and nor is anything correct anymore."

"How long did it take you to figure this out?" I ask him, rising my haunches and stretching out my front paws.

He gives a low "humph" and crosses his arms in front of him, tapping on massive foot at a speed only a rabbit could master.

"This is hardly the time to be joking! Haven't you seen what has been happening? Everything has gone devilish!"

I don't answer him but simply raise my shoulders up to stretch out my back paws. My joints crack continuously with every bit of strain I put on my limbs, and below me the Rabbit places his paws over his ears, shuddering. My grin grows wider.

"Yes, I have noticed, Rabbit. Do you question my skills of observation?"

Rabbit narrows his black eyes.

"No! I don't question your damned bloody skills of observation! I have simply been wondering if you have been using them!"

I narrow my eyes until they become slits, staring him down.

"Don't snap at me, Rabbit. You know that I know what this is about so why don't you just out with it already?" I curl my upper lip over my teeth and my grin becomes a sneer.

Rabbit shakes his head furiously.

"It's good that you should know what this is about! You have seen everything that he been happening and you know it better than any of us! Better than I, better than Griffin, and Turtle, and Dodo! Better than Caterpillar! Why don't you do something about it?"

My blood begins to rise and I fight to keep my fur flat.

"And just what is it that you expect me to do," I growl.

"You know! You know very well what needs to be done! Look at what has happened! Look at Hare, Door Mouse! For God's sake man, look at _Hatter! _They got just an inch close to her and-"

I snapped. "I know what has happened! I have seen! And don't you think for one second that it rests alright with me! I am far more disgusted than you could possibly think…"


End file.
